1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bus bar assemblies and particularly to an improved bus bar assembly which can be as long as necessary and provides modules which may take different sizes and be connected to an elongated conductor to form a single integral unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past it has been the practice to connect heavy conductors to a bus bar using wire clamps with a screw type clamp to apply connecting pressure to the conductor. Typical of such prior art connectors are those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,913,552; 2,232,602; 2,288,941; 2,290,691; 2,569,223; 3,047,835; 3,335,399; earlier Walter U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,425,022 and 3,551,876 and in French patent 888,909; British patent 692,707 and German patent 736,704. Those earlier patents, while excellent for their time and purpose were limited in number and variety of wire connections that they could be used to make and were difficult to assemble to a bus bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,412, which issued to the applicants herein, discloses a bus bar assembly which can connect large numbers of wires to a single bus bar using single and double connector modules, each of which is readily movable and spaced along the length of the bus bar and fixed in position as the wires are compressed and connected in the connector modules. Such an assembly has particular utility in large buildings where large numbers of wires must be connected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,412 provides an electrical bus bar assembly comprising an elongate conductor member having a generally flat top surface with two spaced parallel channels extending lengthwise of the conductor and separated by a vertical riser forming an integral part of the conductor and extending above the top surface of the conductor member and forming adjacent walls of the spaced channels, at least one wall of each channel extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of the channel at an angle to form an opening smaller in width than the bottom of the channel, at least one connector module adapted to receive at least one wire slidable in said channels, said connector module having a top member and two depending legs at each side, each leg having a depending foot member opposite the top member with a cross section corresponding to one of the channels in the conductor member and slidable therein, said depending foot members being separated to receive the vertical riser therebetween, a screw member threaded in said top member extending between the legs and a clamp member pivoted on the end of the screw member between the depending legs for clamping a wire between the clamp member, the riser and at least a part of the depending legs to clamp the wire and to cause the connector module to be forced upwardly to frictionally engage the depending foot members in the two spaced channels of the elongate conductor member. Preferably each leg is turned inwardly at the end opposite the top member and provided with a depending foot member. The top member of the connector member may be provided with a channel extending transversely thereof intermediate the legs and parallel thereto and having the step of a generally T shaped member slidable therein, said head having curved surfaces on each side of the step and on the top cooperating with curved surfaces in the depending legs, said top contacting the top of the vertical riser, and at least one screw member threaded in said top member between each leg and the stem of the T shaped member and carrying a clamp member pivoted thereon between each depending leg and the stem of the T shaped member. Preferably the elongate conductor member is extruded aluminum.